Thursday, February 23, 2006

Profitable On The Web


The topic here is to get you thinking about how websites make money, and more importantly, how your website is going to make money. Now off the top of my head I can only think of a handful of ways to make revenue from the internet. These are Ads, Affiliates, Selling Products,Selling Services, and Business partnerships. Now you can break these down and create all kinds of models for a business. Lets cover this a little bit more. If you are selling your own items you can charge however much you see fit, this leaves more profit for you. If you Provide services you must keep in mind the manpower needed per client and figure how many clients you can handle. You can sell someone elses products, alot of people drop ship products. This method lets you sell a product without having storage space or shipping concerns. Affiliate products are complete no hassle solutions to having an online business. However, the profits are not as great per sale. Most programs work on a percentage of sale made. Ad space is of course a source of revenue, sometimes good, sometimes not. This all depends on the size of your company, and are you selling ad space, or are you running through an aggregator, etc.. There are alot of good books on the subject of internet business models out there, as well as a huge resource of online articles on the topic. So think about every site you see. Ask yourself how are they making their money? Then when you feel you have a good grasp on the ideas, formulate your own online empire!

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Business Plan Primer


Your business plan is like a roadmap to success, a battle plan that is your guide along the way. When considering your business plan there are typically a few things that it should include.
These are:
A summary outlining your objectives and goals.
A brief summary about the company.
The product or service you offer.
The market for your product.
A marketing plan.
A financial projection.
An exit strategy.

There are many great book on business plans available. I suggest Writing A Convincing Business Plan, and the Business Plan Pro software can also be very helpful in guiding you thriugh the process of your first business plan. The wizards are great, and the help is excellent.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006
















Are you an Entrepreneur?

Before you go into business you need to get to know yourself a little bit and decide if you even have it in you to be a success in business. So what kind of traits do some entrepreneurs have? Well most have an unshakable determination to succeed. Those same people find it easier to succeed for themselves instead of someone else. Entrepreneur's usually find it easier to manage themselves than to be managed. This sound familiar yet? Entrepreneur types usually feel the need to constantly grow and move forward. This is something that can be hard to do when working for someone else. A good idea never hurts either. If you find you have a great sense for business, and a good business idea, then do the research and make a plan. Do you have a team? Remember true success rarely comes on its own, or alone. What I mean is you need a good plan and a good team if you want your business to be a success. And last but not least if those around you support you and agree with your decisions give it a shot, you never know.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Finding the right idea for your business.

Finding the right idea for your business can be a tough task, but there are a few things you can do to make your life easier. When you are digging your brain for the next million dollar product or service, here are a few things to consider.

1. Is there a need, or a niche?
Whatever your idea, you should determine the market and audience it would serve. Does your idea compete with another company? Find an area thats being underserved, and fill it. Do your research, does your idea represent a real market for you?

2. Do something you love
When considering your business idea, you should consider something that you enjoy. That is, you should consider an idea that you will not grow bored with. A start up is a lot of work, and you cant be giving up or growing tired of what you are doing. Whatever you choose it should be something that you can see yourself devoting a lot of time and energy to.

3.Think about your finances
Whatever you choose you should consider the investment you will need to make financially, and the realistic potential for returns. Do you need to raise money to fund your startup? Do you need a business loan? Do you qualify for a business loan? Take all these things into consideration when debating your business idea.

These three things alone can help you decide if your idea is right for a business, and more importantly, is the idea right for you.

Welcome to E-ntrepreneur!

Hello,
Welcome to the first installment of E-ntrepreneur. I would like to take this chance to introduce myself. My name is Travis, and I work in business development for a company in El Segundo, California. I hope to cover a wide range of topics here including; startup, raising capitol, marketing, managing, and overall running a successful business online. So check in often, or subscribe to a feed to get all the current news and information from E-ntrepreneur.

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